Florida lawmakers once again forgot about raises for FHP troopers | Opinion

One couldn’t help but notice the remarkable efficiency and urgency with which many important bills moved through the Florida Legislature this year. It’s impressive how swiftly lawmakers managed to pass and sign into law measures such as:

▪ House Bill 479, addressing minor hit-and-run incidents (though not the shortage of troopers to investigate them).

▪ House Bill 597, ensuring schools have emergency diabetes protocols (an important cause, no doubt).

.▪ House Bill 615, giving landlords and tenants the revolutionary ability to send emails (welcome to the 21st century).

▪ House Bill 791, improving safe surrender options for infants (actually a very compassionate move).

▪ House Bill 1173, polishing up trust law for estate planning (a win for Florida’s trust administrators).

▪ House Bill 1195, authorizing fentanyl test strips (a critical tool for combating overdoses).

And of course, there’s the sweeping immigration legislation signed in February — rushed from proposal to law faster than a trooper can write a speeding ticket.

Yet, amid this legislative flurry, one issue remains motionless: funding for Florida Highway Patrol troopers — the same troopers praised during campaign season and forgotten during budget season.

Why is funding the very people tasked with keeping Florida’s citizens and visitors alive on the road less urgent than tweaking landlord email rules?

There are fewer than 1,800 active troopers serving a state of over 22 million residents and 140 million tourists. That’s roughly one trooper for every 77,000 people — while Florida has a budget surplus big enough to fund a moon landing.

Troopers now serve in ways that go well beyond traffic enforcement. They’re deployed to assist with border security in Texas and the Florida Keys, protect Jewish schools and synagogues in Miami, and respond to riots and civil unrest across the state.

Now, they’re also involved in immigration enforcement.

In 2022, troopers received a starting salary bump to $50,000, and a long-overdue step-pay plan was finally implemented — only to be defunded months later after salary funds were misappropriated. As of 2025, the average annual trooper salary is $60,074, or about $28.88 per hour, with most salaries ranging from $55,800 to $64,400, according to ZipRecruiter.

But in the last three years — when troopers’ roles have been more demanding than ever — proposed pay raises have failed. This session, Gov. Ron DeSantis recommended increases, but the Florida House ignored them entirely, and the Senate offered only a minimal adjustment.

Florida now ranks 47th in trooper pay out of 49 states (Hawaii has no Highway Patrol). Each year, troopers hear the same line: “Next year is your year.” And each year, nothing changes.

To solve this once and for all, troopers need:

▪ A dedicated FHP trust fund (restricted to salaries)

▪ A recurring funding source (for long-term stability)

▪ A $100 million investment to adjust salaries, hire more troopers, provide essential equipment, and sustain the fund for decades

Dedicated troopers protect Florida. Who is protecting our troopers?

Spencer Ross is the president of Florida Highway Patrol Fraternal Order of Police.